LONGVIEW - The City of Longview has been ranked among the top ten Booming Small Cities of 2014 by Forbes, a ranking that highlights the area’s growth since 2000.

Longview was ranked sixth on the list, behind The Villages, Florida; Midland, Texas; Odessa, Texas; Fargo, North Dakota; and Jacksonville, North Carolina.

According to Forbes, the Longview metro area has seen an 18 percent increase in job growth, a 25 percent increase in per capita personal income growth and an 11.5 percent population growth since 2000. The metropolitan area includes Gregg, Rusk and Upshur counties.

In the last 12 years, the tax base in Gregg County has more than doubled, from $4.7 billion to nearly $10 billion, according to Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt. “That in itself shows you the kind of growth we are dealing with.”

Stoudt added the Longview area’s growth is indicative of what East Texas has to offer.

“People are discovering East Texas, and it is a great place to raise a family, retire and live and enjoy life,” he said.